18 Exceptional Australia 2015
Emerging category
Q How do you ensure you keep that competitive edge
in this fast-moving market?
In most businesses, and especially in software, innovation is everything.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, high-growth and
constantly changing, so innovation success begins and ends with talent.
We invest heavily in recruiting and what we call ‘Employee Experience’.
This has been key to attracting and retaining the most highly skilled
employees in some of the most competitive markets for technology talent
on earth, like the San Francisco Bay Area and Dublin, for example. We have
made innovation a core part of Nitro’s cultural DNA. If we win the war
for talent, we have the best shot at creating a sustainable competitive
advantage in everything we do.
Q You call your employees Nitronauts. How do
you ensure your Nitronauts stay Nitronauts
and don’t move on to a competitor?
A key aspect of our strategy is Nitro University. Nitro University was
established to provide training for Nitronauts on everything from sales
skills to leadership. Every employee attends Nitro University, completing
various courses that form part of their onboarding, are team specific or are
special skills they wish to learn. The defining feature of Nitro University is
that Nitronauts can attend as many classes as they want, for free, even if
that class is not part of their career stream or relevant to their role at that
time. In other words, if a finance team member wants to attend a sales skills
course, that is encouraged. Our mantra is ‘Never Stop Learning’, and Nitro
University is a fundamental reason why top talent joins us, and stays with us.
Q What is the next big challenge for Nitro?
We are far from done building the Nitro business. We make $30 million
in revenue today and we are trying to build a $100 million business over
the next three to five years. We will keep building because we get a lot of
satisfaction out of the process. We are also considering a possible IPO within
that time frame.
Q Have there been any significant challenges
throughout your journey as an entrepreneur?
My big test as an entrepreneur was when I was in my late teens. It was
my first start-up and we scaled a bit too fast and nearly ran out of money.
There was a sustained six-month period where we were on the verge of
being bankrupt and insolvent multiple times. I was just 19 and owing tens of
thousands of dollars, and staring personal bankruptcy down the barrel was
awful, but I was convinced I could come out of it so that’s what I did — even
though I probably didn’t sleep for about six months! In hindsight, I think it
was a really good test though. Most entrepreneurs will have those types of
challenges at some point. As an entrepreneur, you have to bet big. If you
take a lot of risk, you can gain a lot of return. If you are not willing to take
that risk, then you are potentially missing out.
Sam with Gina O’Reilly, COO at Nitro
Sam with MC Adam Spencer
Sam with his team
PhotographysuppliedbyNitroPhotographysuppliedbyNitro
the big guys
Taking on